Graduation day is approaching soon and many hard-working students will achieve their dream of a college degree. Getting that degree is a marvelous day to be sure, but what comes next?
Some graduates will decide to continue their education, but others will choose to launch their career. If you’re someone who knows exactly what type of work you want to do after college and maybe even have your first job lined up, you’re one of the fortunate few. If you’re someone who isn’t quite sure yet what you’ll do with your newly minted degree, much less have an employer in mind, there is help at the Everett Community College (EvCC) Student Job Center.

EvCC freshman, Suneha Kumar, is a student who has her path mapped out. She is pursuing her psychology degree at EvCC and then plans to transfer to a 4-year university to get her bachelor’s degree in the same area. Kumar knows exactly what she wants to do when she graduates – be a cop. Kumar has known that law enforcement is her destiny from a young age. “My dad is in law enforcement and so are several members of my family,” she explained.

To prepare herself, she has accompanied real police officers at the Seattle Police Department on ride-alongs where she had the opportunity to witness first-hand what a police officer does. She has also listened carefully to her father’s guidance and even received interview tips from her mother. Kumar feels confident she knows what she wants and is fortunate to have resources at home to help.

If you are a little lost and lacking confidence about what you want to do with your degree, don’t worry. You’re more like the majority of soon-to-be college graduates. This is where the EvCC Student Job Center comes in. The center offers a variety of services and support for college students looking for help entering the workplace. Myra Odom-Oby is the Job Center Program Manager and Internship Coordinator. Her office and the Student Job Center are located on the third floor of Grey Wolf Hall in Room 365.

Odom-Oby explained that the Student Job Center is able to assist students with everything from writing resumes/cover letters to building their professional network and searching open positions posted by employers looking to hire current students or recent college graduates. The center can help students find short-term internships or permanent jobs through job board postings and college career fairs.

Odom-Oby emphasized that the center can be a help to students from their first quarter on campus all the way through graduation day. She stressed that “not enough” students take advantage of the services the center has to offer.

If you are in need of assistance bridging yourself from the world of academia to the workplace and aren’t quite sure where to start, do yourself a great service and reach out to the Student Job Center. They can be reached Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. for an appointment by emailing [email protected] or you can connect with them by phone at 425-388-9489. Appointments are conducted primarily via Zoom at this time.

If you just want to explore their services online, you can easily find them by simply typing “Job Center” in the search field on the EvCC home page. This will bring up the Student Job Center link.

You owe it to yourself to get the professional help available free of charge on campus to ensure your journey into the workplace is a smooth and effective one.